Printed circuit screw lock connectors



Sept. 20, 1960 A. JACKSON ETAL PRINTED CIRCUIT SCREW LOCK CONNECTORSFiled June 25. 1957 United States Patent O PRINTED CIRCUIT SCREW LOCKCONNECTORS Anton Jackson, Truesdale Lake Shore, South Salem, N.

and Boris A. Jackson, 30 La Farge Lane, Manhasset, N.Y.

Filed June 25, 1957, Ser. No. 667,762

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-92) This invention relates to screw lock connectorsadapted for use in connection with what are known as printed circuits.More particularly, the invention deals with a connector of this type andkind, wherein the connectors are mounted in metallic frames, in whichthe screw lock elements are mounted in movement of the connectors intoand out of engagement with each other.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a connector structureof the character described employing the double lead screw couplingsand, wherein, the frames or casings have internesting portions assistingin alinement of the connectors one with respect to the other in thecoupling engagement.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing description, when taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosedand, in which,

side walls 22, 23 joined at their ends in end walls 24,.

printed circuit card, diagrammatically illustrated at 19 in Figs. l and2. No details of the circuits on the card 19 have been shown, as thisforms no part of the presentV invention. It will appear, from Fig. 1,that some of the pin contacts 18 are disposed in a higher plane than theother pin contacts and the grooves 17 are proportionately formed.

Mounted on the lower surface of the connector 12vis an elongatedrectangular mounting or coupling frame 20, including a housing portion21 dened by long parallel which are contracted in the direction of thewall 23, as noted inpFig. 3, thus forming an odd-shaped chamber withinthe housing 21. The lower surface of the connector 12 has a downwardlyprotruding portion 12', gen' g erally conforming with the contour of thesocket, but

spaced from the walls of the housing dening said socket to form, withinthe socket, an annular recess around the protruding portion 12'. jProtruding beyond the ends of the walls 24 of the4 frame 20 are angleiron portions 26 dened partially yby.

extensions to the wall 22 and by 4a wall portion 27.

Now, considering Fig. 2, it will appear that the endsV of the connector12 arranged upon the extensionsV 26 have apertures 28, in the upper endof which is mounted an internally threaded collar 29, with whichis'coupled the separate parts are designated by suitable reference 'Ition and showing only part of the contacts of the socket connector.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, with parts of theconstruction shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the upper or pin part of the connector,as seen in Fig. 1, indicating only part of the pins of the connector;and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the socket connector part, as seen in Fig.1, indicating only part of the sockets.

In the accompanying drawings, only part of the pin and socket contactsof the connectors are illustrated in order to simplify the showing.However, in Fig. 1, the protruding contact pins for engagement -with aprinted circuit are all illustrated. It will, thus, be apparent that, inthe present illustration of one adaptation and use of our invention,there will be eleven sockets in the socket connector and eleven pins inthe pin connector for engagement with said sockets.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, we have shown 4in slightly spaced relationshipto each other and in alinernent for assemblage the pin connector unit 10and the socket connector unit 111. A bottom plan View of the unit 10 isshown in Fig. 3 and a top plan view of the unit 11 is shown in Fig. 4.The unit 10 has an insulated, preferably plastic, connector body 12 withspaced pin contacts, diagrammatically illustrated at 13, the pincontacts projecting through the lower surface of the connector 12,

the upper threaded end 30 of a bushing 31 seating in the lower portionof the aperture 28 and in an aperture 32 of the wall 27. The combinationof the collar 29 and bushing 31 serves to secure the connector 12 totheV frame 20.

Freely movable axially in the bushing 31 is the socket member 33 of .ascrew lock connector, the lower portion having a double lead threadsocket 34 and the upper end an elongated pin 35, which extends into aiingerpiece.

` knob 36 and is keyed thereto, as indicated at 37.. Disposed betweenthe lower endof the knob in the upper surface of the collar 29 andconnector 12 are washers, as at 38. The axially free mounting of thesocket mem-v ber 33 provides for automatic alinernent of the connectorsone with the other, the screw lock male or pin portions 39 having asimilar mounting in the frame 40 of the connector 15, or protrudingplate portions 41 of said frame.

At this time, it is pointed out that only one of the screw lock units isbeing specifically described, namely the one shown in section in Fig. 2.'1t will be understood, however, that the companion unit, at the opposedside of the connectors, as shown in Fig. l, is of identicalconstruction; thus, the brief description of one will apply to the otherand like references will be used on like parts.

The frame 40 is elongated and rectanglar in form and has, as shown inthe drawing, an upwardly protruding housing portion 42, generally of thesame contour as the housing 21 and, for this reason, no detaildescription of the wall structure of the housing is deemed to benecessary. The housing 42 is smaller than the housing 21 and is adaptedto t freely, but snugly, within the housing 21, the upper edge of thehousing 42 tting within the groove 25 of the housing 21.

It will appear, from a consideration of Fig. 1 of the drawing, that theconnector 15 is mounted within the housing 42 and is retained therein byset screws or other fasteners, as indicated, in part, at 43. In thismounting, the upper surface 44 of the connector 15 is spaced below theupper edge of the housing 42, this construction providing a recess forreception of the extension -12 of the connector 12.

The lower part of the frame 40 is slightly enlarged, as seen at 45, toseat upon the lower edge of the housing 21 and, in the couplingengagement of .the connectors,

these two surfaces are brought into abutting engagement with each other.The pins 39 or male coupling portions of the screw locks are freelydisposed in, but 'keyed against rotation, in apertures 46 inthe plateportions 4,1, thus providing the axial shifting for alinement, aspreviously stated. The keying of the pins 39 can be flat slides on theportions 47 of the pins which are disposed within the apertures 46.

The pins 39 have enlarged double lead thread portions 48 for engagementwith the threaded sockets 34. By utilizing the double lead threadconstruction, quick coupling and uncoupling of the connectors is madepossible and, further, this construction, in combination with the freemounting of the pin and socket portions, pre- Vents jamming of theconnectors in the coupling and uncoupling operation, even though one ofthe knobs 36 is operated to a materially greater extent than the opposedknob.

It will be apparent, from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing, thatalinement f the connectors is established through the sockets 33 andpins 39 prior to engagement of the housing 42 with the housing 21. Theupper edge of the wall of the housing 42 is bevelled, as seen at 42', soas to be guided in the housing 21 and, after engagement of the housingsone with the other, the contact pins 13 will be Vbrought into alinementwith the sockets 14, thus insuring positive engagement between theconnectors. By utilizing the frames on the two connectors, a wellreinforced mounting is provided which dispenses with any stresses orstrains upon the plastic or other insulated bodies of the connectors 12and 15. For purposes of description, the housings 21, 42 may be said tobe dovetail in form, thus providing, in the one frame, a deep dovetailsocket and, in the other frame, a shallow dovetail socket. Also,descrip- -tively speaking, the parts 33, 39 may be said to comprise thescrew lock female and male coupling elements.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

' A screw lock connector of the character described, comprising a maleor pin contact connector body and a female or socket contact connectorbody, an elongated rectangular reinforcing frame mounted in conment fromend portions of said frames, said elements be- I ing in common alinementfor moving the frames and said connector bodies into, operative andinoperative engagement with each other, said elements guiding initialassemblage of the connector bodies, the male connector having bushingsseating on and extending through the frame thereof, said bushingsextending into the male connector body and threaded to engage threadedcollars seating in said male connector body, said bushings and co1- larsserving to secure the frame to the male connector body, the screw lockelements of the male connector body seating in said bushings and havingaxiallyA and radially free mountings in said bushings, and means coupledwith said elements and arranged outwardly of said male connector bodyfor retaining said elements against displace ment from said bushings.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,152,005 Clark Aug. 31, 1915 1,686,534 Rosenzweig Oct. 9, 19281,897,954 DOlier Feb. 14, 1933 2,068,399 Dash et al. Jan. 19, 19372,457,119 Bour Dec. 28, 1948 2,659,872 Gilbert Nov. 17, 1953 2,746,022Gilbert May 15, 1956 2,761,108 Jackson et al. Aug. 28, 1956 2,790,153Arson Apr. 23, 1957 2,845,604 Jackson et al. July 29, 1958 2,903,668Cornell Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 289,213 Germany Dec. 5, 1914 OTHERREFERENCES Tele-Tech & Electronics Industries Pub., December 1955, page105.

